LG Chem to supply batteries for Ford hybrids
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - South Korea's LG Chem Co Ltd will sell rechargeable batteries for hybrid cars to Ford Motor Co from 2012, with the annual sales estimated to reach 500 billion won (US $447 million), local media said.
Exact battery sales by South Korea's No.1 chemicals company will depend on how many cars the U.S. No.2 automaker sells, the Maeil business newspaper reported, quoting a company official.
"The size and condition of the deal with Ford is similar to the one with GM," the official said at the paper.
LG Chem's U.S. unit has reached a deal to supply next-generation lithium-ion batteries for General Motors' Volt plug-in.
A senior spokesman LG Chem said nothing had been decided yet.
LG Chem last year said it would invest 1 trillion won in an electric car battery plant over the next four years, aiming to derive total revenue of 2 trillion won from the battery business by 2015.
LG Chem last year also said it would set up a battery joint venture with South Korea's Hyundai Mobis Co, the car-parts making unit of Hyundai Motor Group. Hyundai Motor Co launched its first hybrid car in South Korea last July.
Related News

Canada will need more electricity to hit net-zero: IEA report
TORONTO - Canada will need more electricity capacity if it wants to hit its climate targets, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA).
The report offers mainly a rosy picture of Canada's overall federal energy policy. But, the IEA draws attention to Canada's increasing future electricity demands, and ultimately, calls on Canada to leverage its non-emitting energy potential to hit its climate targets.
"Canada's wealth of clean electricity and its innovative spirit can help drive a secure and affordable transformation of its energy system and help realize its ambitious goals," stated Fatih Birol, the IEA executive director, in…